With the death of Brindor, Pareon Gestil became the effective
controller of the Atlantean Empire. For the past months he had
declared his aim of restoring the traditional form and constitution of
a true Atlantean Empire, as well as a moral Government for it. He
immediately abolished Brindor’s title of "Great Leader",
banned the brotherhood Party, arrested numerous officials within it,
and declared the initiation as from the previous February (his revolt)
of a Fifth Empire, to represent a complete break with the past. For
similar reasons, he also started a new Dynasty, the Celam-Rayustel, a
purely formal gesture. Clearly the new Empire needed a new Emperor,
but Pareon himself was at first unwilling to be that Emperor himself.
He saw himself as a straightforward military man, able, perhaps, to
smash the remains of the Tyrants’ regime and save the Empire from
the invasions of its enemies, but not of sufficient ability and
stature to establish and rule an n equable new Empire. He insisted
that to avoid committing any immoralities while in Government he must
have all his actions vetted by a committee of equals. Only after this
sort of government proved ineffective and then after considerable
persuasion, did he finally agree to being declared Emperor in April
829, again back-dated to February 828. (This leads to the curious
situation that the period of the Tyrants was reckoned to end in
February 828, yet Brindor himself was still admitted to be ruling part
of the country until January 829.)

Pareon wrote a self-analysis as a reluctant candidate for the
throne in his autobiography after he "retired" three years
later. His comments on himself were generally just, but even so his
achievements while Emperor were considerable. He was 41 years old in
828, was married, for the second time, and had three children. In
himself, he was indeed a conservative soldier, of strict moral beliefs
and behaviour, old-fashioned religion (Theism), and was horrified by
the violence, immorality and lack of respect for traditional Atlantean
values evinced by the tyrants and generally by increasing numbers of
citizens. There were indeed at least three separate crises facing the
Empire by now. There was the obvious political one, caused by the
downfall of Brindor, but the remaining vengeful Brotherhood gangs in
the east of the Empire. There was military crisis caused by the
collapse of the traditional Atlantean Army, and the increasing
incursions by other States on to Atlantean territory. And finally,
there was indeed a spiritual and moral crisis within the Empire: crime
and immorality had rocketed throughout the past 15 years and more, as
more and more people took their lead from the abominable behaviour of
the Tyrants. Pareon may well have been daunted by the tasks that
seemed to stand before him.

THE MILITARY SUCCESSES

Not surprisingly, Pareon’s greatest success in re-organising the
Empire came in sorting out the military problems which faced it. He
had been an able general, and succeeded in instilling new morale into
the demoralised Atlantean Army. He quickly abolished the old Internal
Security Army, and incorporated many of the soldiers, though not the
leaders, into the new, voluntary, regular Army. He faced chaos caused
by rebels, fighters for independence, supporters of Brindor, and
occupation forces from surrounding States all round the Empire. But
the direst crisis was a result of a massive invasion of Nunchalrieh by
the armies of the military leader of Skallandieh, Golumen Gishi.. This
had begun in February 829, and in the absence of organised resistance
by the regular Atlantean Army, most of which was still rounding up
Government troops in the interior, enemy forces soon overran most of
the province as far south as Runnates. The fort of Buresso held out
against them, but other forces moved south-east towards Dravidieh.
Pareon set up a defensive line on the river Chalcratoura, and in the
late summer of 829 delivered a decisive defeat against the enemy’s
forces south of Runnates. Still rebuilding the strength and morale of
his Army, and having simultaneously to deal with reorganising a whole
Empire, Pareon spent the rest of the year securing the latter
Provinces, and making minor attacks from the Keltish mountains on the
Skallands’ flank. Then in 830, he attacked them from the east. In a
brilliant series of attacks and manoeuvres, he defeated the Skallands
and worked his way north-west back to Buresso and then northwards. The
war was not won, but the Skallands were forced back to the edges of
the Empire.

As mentioned, Pareon also faced the remains of Brother supporters
in the east of the Empire. These included many who had never agreed to
the defeat of Brindor, as well as many soldiers who had been thrown
out of the Internal Security Army recently disbanded. Pareon fairly
successfully brought law and order back to these eastern Provinces by
the end of 829. Elsewhere he succeeded at least in preventing further
incursions by the Uariltteccoth in the south-east (with which he
agreed a peace-treaty), or by the Rabarrans in the south. Nevertheless
he was unable to retake much of the territory conquered over the
previous twenty years, let alone the island of Helvrmon in the
Helvengio. This, most embarrassingly, had been seized in 828, when the
defenders deserted their posts, and the navy had left the Helvremon.
In the north-west he agreed with Quendelieh that they should continue
to keep troops in Yciel Atlantis and other parts of Marossan, as well
as the seas thereabouts, in order to protect Atlantean interests.

POLITICAL AND MORAL FAILURES

Pareon was desperately anxious to restore a proper representative
and democratic government to the Empire, and he spent most of the two
years from 829 to 831 trying to recreate a parliament of national
unity. He quickly declared complete toleration for all nationalities
within the Empire, reversing the Tyrants’ cruel racism, and in
particular rebuilt the Army as fully multi-ethnic again. However, many
people in the previously persecuted races of the Empire – Helvrans,
Kelts, Jutes, Ughans – immediately demanded complete independence.
The Jutes, indeed, had already effectively succeeded in this some
years earlier, and many of the Kelts who had survived the Tyrants,
were also refusing to obey the Emperor. Pareon was unable to settle
this situation, nor was he successful in producing a more accountable
form of government for the Empire. He tried to set up a Council
representing the peoples of the Empire, and called several elections.
The members assembled, but were then dispersed due to chronic
inability to agree on any topic at all put to them by the Emperor.
Indeed many these Council sessions ended in complete chaos and
rowdyism. In the end, Pareon was forced to rule by imperial decree on
his own.

Pareon did try to settle accounts with the past by arresting a
large number of Brothers, officers and civilians. He originally wanted
to concentrate on just bringing the leaders to trial, trying to
achieve some sort of reconciliation with the lower-ranking members,
but such was the hatred felt against the Tyrants and their supporters
in the hearts of most of their victims, that he was forced to widen
his net to include many ordinary supporters of the Brothers. These
people were tried in batches between 829 and 831 in courts whose
judges themselves had to be firstly thoroughly purged. The courts had
to be well protected by the new Army, as there were a number of
attempts to rescue the defendants by attacks from outside. In the end,
a considerable number of Brothers were executed or imprisoned, but
earlier on, some were released (who quickly fled abroad, usually to
"Uarilteccoth"), due to the connivance of judges left over
from the previous regime.

Pareon was scarcely more successful in producing a change in the
moral and spiritual atmosphere of the Empire. Crime and violence,
immorality of all sorts, and a lack of belief in any traditions were
rife in 828, and the best that could be said of the situation three
years later, was that they were perhaps no worse. Pareon tried to set
a good example himself, and appoint only morally upstanding Ministers
to run the country, but by and large, much of the Empire did not
notice, or was so distracted by the general unrest, that higher moral
standards and a greater spiritual ethos was the least of its
interests.

PAREON "PERSUADED" TO RETIRE

By 831, it was becoming clear that Pareon was unable to realise
his ideals for a new Empire. His plans were being frustrated at every
turn, and it looked improbable that, while he was in charge, the
Empire would ever emerge from stagnation and chaos to restore its
former prestige and greatness. According to his memoirs, he had made
up his mind by 831 to resign power in favour of a better-qualified
successor. The event which finally forced a changeover occurred in
April 831, when a renegade military force of brotherhood sympathisers
attacked guards in a courtroom and released 18 Brotherhood officers
being tried, causing six deaths and many injuries. Pareon immediately
announced his intention of retiring and handing over power to Thildo
Gailonex. It also seems that Quendelieh, some of whose troops were
present in Atlantis, had also been pressurising Pareon to go. Some
Quendi soldiers were actually on duty at the courtroom during the
attack, and four were wounded.

Gailonex had been Pareon’s Commander-in-Chief in the recent war
against Skallandieh, and was thereafter made Chief Controller, that is
to say, Pareon’s chief Minister. Although only 34, Gailonex was
obviously extremely able and ambitious, and what was more, had deeply
held views about the future of the Empire, which corresponded to many
of Pareon’s own, more confused notions. It is unlikely, however,
that Pareon, or anyone else at this time, guessed just how
successfully Gailonex would be able to carry out his plans for the
Empire.

On 9th May 831, Pareon resigned, and Gailonex became the
new Emperor. Pareon retired into private life and wrote his memoirs.
Then, in June 834, one of the Brotherhood members who escaped in the
courtroom drama of April 831, and had never been recaptured,
assassinated Pareon and his wife at home, before shooting himself. In
August, Gailonex ensured that he was given the Throne-name of
Atlaniphon IV, as a true saviour of the Empire, and a link to the
admired Second Empire. This name was not regularly used by later
historians, however.